Hardware for a room with screens
Screens, computer, graphics cards, software and network for a small room (3 portrait screens) and a big room (9 portrait screens, 3 walls of 3).
Coordination - the room with screens - 4 min. You need: an IT or AV partner who orders and installs it - or buy the complete room from CoVince: SynerSuite
Reading this changes nothing. Nothing is bought, nothing is saved.
What you need for a room with screens
Two room sizes. One computer runs all the screens and shows the board in a web browser. Nothing has to be installed from us.
| Small room - 3 portrait screens side by side | Big room - 9 portrait screens: 3 walls of 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Screens | ||
| Number and setting | 3 screens, turned upright (portrait). Board setting: 3 portrait screens . | 9 screens, turned upright, in 3 walls of 3. Board setting: 9 portrait screens . |
| Whole wall in pixels | Full HD: 3240 x 1920 (1080 x 1920 per screen) 4K: 6480 x 3840 (2160 x 3840 per screen) | Full HD: 9720 x 1920 (1080 x 1920 per screen) 4K: 19440 x 3840 (2160 x 3840 per screen) |
| Kind of screen | Professional display, 75" or larger, Full HD or 4K (4K advised from 75"), made for 24/7 use, non-reflective (anti-glare) surface | The same, all 9 the same model and size, so colours and edges match |
| Rated for portrait | The maker must allow 24/7 use in portrait: the cooling has to get rid of the heat when the screen stands upright. Check the datasheet - a normal TV is not made for this and gets too hot. | The same for all 9, and leave room behind and above the screens so the heat can get out (ventilated mounts, no closed cabinet). |
| Brightness and edge | At least 450-500 cd/m2, matte; thin edge (bezel) of 3.5 mm or less | At least 500 cd/m2, matte; thin edge, or a video-wall panel with an edge of 1.8 mm or less |
| Mounting | VESA wall or floor mount for portrait, screens touching, top edges level | One mount system per wall, adjustable in depth so the 9 screens line up |
| Computer | ||
| How many | 1 desktop PC (small form factor is fine) | 1 workstation for all 9 screens, so the board stays one page - with room for 3 graphics cards (3 PCIe x16 slots, power supply 850 W or more) |
| Processor | Intel Core i5 (12th gen or newer) or AMD Ryzen 5 (5000 or newer) | Intel Core i7 / i9 (13th gen or newer) or AMD Ryzen 7 / 9 (7000 or newer) |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM minimum, 32 GB advised | 64 GB RAM minimum, 128 GB advised |
| Storage | 256 GB SSD (NVMe) | 512 GB SSD (NVMe) |
| Graphics card | 1 x NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB (4 mini-DisplayPort, 3 used) - the same card as in the big room | Always 3 x the same card: NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB - one card per wall, 3 of its 4 outputs used. Never mix models: Mosaic needs identical cards, and one spare fits every room. |
| Cables | 3 DisplayPort or HDMI cables; an active cable or fibre above 5 m | 9 cables of the same type and length; active or fibre above 5 m |
| Network | Wired network (1 Gbit/s), internet 50 Mbit/s or more | Wired network (1 Gbit/s or 2.5 Gbit/s), internet 100 Mbit/s or more |
| To operate it | A wireless keyboard and mouse | A wireless keyboard and mouse; a tablet or laptop to edit the board while the wall plays |
| Software | ||
| Operating system | Windows 11 Pro, 64-bit | Windows 11 Pro (or Pro for Workstations), 64-bit |
| CoVince app | The CoVince desktop app for Windows (64-bit), latest version. It runs the wall, the touch screen and video gatherings. Chrome or Edge only as a fallback. | The same app; it lays the board over the 3 walls itself. |
| One desktop over all screens | Windows display settings: each screen on Portrait , placed side by side, scale 100%. Or NVIDIA Mosaic for one 3240 x 1920 desktop. | NVIDIA Mosaic makes the 9 screens on the 3 cards one 9720 x 1920 desktop. Scale 100%. One driver version for all 3 cards. |
| Starting by itself | Windows signs in automatically with the room account; the CoVince app starts at sign-in in kiosk mode (full screen, cannot be closed by visitors) | The same |
| Power and updates | Never sleep, no screen saver, notifications off; updates outside opening hours | The same, and the graphics driver is only updated after a test on the wall |
| Account and network access | A CoVince account with access to the board; https (port 443) and WebSockets to CoVince open in the firewall | The same; a separate account for the wall, so a person's own login is never left open in the room |
| Permissions on the room PC | ||
| Windows account | A local standard account just for the room - no administrator. Automatic sign-in at start-up. | The same |
| Install | The CoVince app installs for that account only, in its own folder (%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs) - no administrator needed. Allow it in SmartScreen, AppLocker or Defender Application Control if those are on. | The same |
| Kiosk and start | The account may start apps at sign-in: the app's Start with Windows setting, or a Task Scheduler task 'at log on' that starts it in kiosk mode. No group policy that blocks start-up apps or full-screen apps. | The same |
| Remote updates | The account may write in the app folder and run the CoVince update it downloads - that is what lets CoVince update the app without anyone at the PC. The app looks for an update each time it starts: plan a daily restart outside opening hours (Task Scheduler). | The same |
| Remote restart | The account may restart the app and the PC (Windows: Shut down the system right, standard on Windows 11), so CoVince can restart the room from a distance once the PC is paired with your organisation. | The same |
| Camera, microphone, sound | Windows privacy settings: camera and microphone access ON for desktop apps; the app asks for camera, microphone, screen sharing and full screen only for CoVince pages. | The same |
| Network | Outgoing https (443) with WebSockets to covince.com, covincepubsub.webpubsub.azure.com and covincestorage.blob.core.windows.net (updates). No TLS inspection on these addresses: it breaks the live connection. | The same |
| Remote support | Optional: a remote-desktop tool for your IT or AV partner, for anything CoVince cannot do from a distance | The same |
| Optional: video gatherings and sound | ||
| Camera and microphone | For a CoVince video gathering: a 360° camera with built-in microphones in the middle of the table - it sees everyone and follows whoever speaks | A 360° camera that follows whoever speaks, plus ceiling or table microphones for a room full of people |
| Sound | Advised: 5.1.2 surround sound (5 speakers, 1 subwoofer, 2 height speakers); at least the built-in speakers of the screens | Advised: 5.1.2 surround sound through an AV receiver or amplifier, fed from the PC by HDMI or USB |
Option: a touch control screen
A touch screen on the table to steer the room: start the wall, go to a page, pause.
- Small room
- A touch screen of 10" up to 30", on the table
- Big room
- A touch screen of 15" up to 30", on the table
- Connection
- Straight to the room PC: HDMI for the picture (the free 4th output of the graphics card) and USB for the touch. Above 5 m: an active or fibre HDMI cable and a USB extender.
Option: a studio setup
For recordings, webinars and live sessions from the room, with the wall behind the speakers.
- Microphones
- 3 wireless microphones (clip-on or handheld) into one audio interface or mixer, so every speaker is heard clearly
- Cameras
- 3 cameras (4K or PTZ) with HDMI, SDI or NDI, into a video switcher or capture card on the PC
- Lighting
- Advised: studio lighting - 3 dimmable, flicker-free LED panels (key, fill, back light), 5600 K, CRI 95 or higher
- Tip
- Keep the light off the screens: light falling on the wall washes out the picture behind the speakers
Why scale 100% Windows scaling above 100% makes the browser think the wall is smaller than it is. Make text bigger with Content size in Board settings instead.
One computer, not nine Nine small players each showing a part would each load the board on their own and turn pages at different moments. One computer with one desktop keeps the wall in step.
Where to go next
- Control Room: everything it can do Tiles, pages, data sources and the wall mode.